ES2362033T3 - POST MOUNTING SYSTEM AND PROCEDURE. - Google Patents

Abstract

A pole mounting system for attaching auxiliary equipment to street poles is provided. The system comprises a pair of substantially part cylindrical clamps and tightening means to advance the clamps towards each other and thereby grasp an elongate pole about a substantially transverse cross-section thereof. Each of the clamps includes a multiplicity of spaced apart locator sites extending therearound and wherein each of the auxiliary equipment includes a substantially L-shaped portion having a foot which engages with at least some of the locator sites and a stem which depends from the foot whereby the attachment can be temporarily supported by inter-engagement of the foot and clamp(s). The radial positioning of the auxiliary equipment verified before the auxiliary equipment is secured to the clamp(s).

Description

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Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to street poles and, in particular, to a mounting system and a method that makes it possible to place auxiliary equipment on street poles.

Background of the invention

Street poles are widely used to mount a wide range of auxiliary equipment, such as street name signs, banners, traffic lights, traffic signs, antennas, street lamps and the like.

Many assembly procedures of said auxiliary equipment to the posts are known. The most traditional procedure is to drill the post and insert fasteners through a mounting bracket, or similar, and into the post itself. However, such traditional procedures are increasingly discouraged for three reasons. First, they consume time, and occupational health and safety standards indicate that the amount of time spent working in an elevated position, especially if you stay on a ladder, should be kept to an absolute minimum. Secondly, it is necessary to place the auxiliary equipment radially precisely. For example, at a V-shaped intersection, it is important that the street name signs are correctly aligned with the corresponding streets, since poor alignment of only a small number of degrees can possibly create confusion in the minds of those who are not familiar with the local land, and who intend to use the information contained in the sign with the name of the street. Third, drilling a hole in a post generally exposes the post to corrosion and oxidation, which can effectively shorten the life of the post.

Another traditional method of assembling said auxiliary equipment is to use a flexible metal strap, similar in construction to a clamp for the car radiator, although adequately enlarged to accommodate the diameter of the post. However, said clamping arrangements suffer from the difficulty that the auxiliary equipment must be held in place with one hand, while the clamp is tightened with the other. This is dangerous while working on a ladder, since there is no free hand for the worker to hold on and, in this way, a fall is possible, if not probable. Additionally, once tightened, the radial orientation of the auxiliary equipment cannot be changed without loosening the entire arrangement, while supporting the auxiliary equipment, and repeating the entire procedure.

A pole that has been installed in recent years in the downtown area of Sydney, Australia, is described in Australian Patent No. 741,307. This post is relatively expensive, because it provides an elaborate means of fixation that is present, whether required or not. The fixing means is made of shaped metal to provide fixings oriented in four predetermined directions, that is, north, south, east and west. However, this requires that the pole itself be oriented correctly, and that the radial orientation of the auxiliary equipment be determined in advance. If the post is oriented incorrectly, or it is required to mount a new article of auxiliary equipment on the post in a direction that does not correspond to that of the four predetermined directions, then a very complicated additional support is required to mount said antenna that has an orientation , for example, southeast.

UK Patent Application No. GB2,272,716 (Bribex Ltd) discloses a support bushing for street signs. The bushing comprises six grooves that extend radially, and separated circumferentially apart, oriented outward. The posters are configured to carry signs and extend radially outward from the socket. The bushing is formed by two bushing elements bolted together. The longitudinally extending grooves are arranged on an outer face of the bushing and the grooves are shaped in cross section to receive the hooked end of the poster. A longitudinally extending and deformable hollow element is disposed between the middle of the end with the hook of the sign and the groove, and a bolt is screwed through the hollow of the deformable element to thereby block the poster in an arrangement held in a groove that It extends longitudinally.

It is taught that the lower safety plate member is disposed on a lower end of the bushing to prevent the poster from sliding or tearing along the groove.

Object of the invention

The present invention relates to substantially overcoming, or at least improving, the difficulties mentioned above, or providing a useful alternative.

Summary of the invention

According to a first embodiment of the invention, a pole mounting system is disclosed for attaching auxiliary equipment (2, 3) to street poles, said system comprising a pair of cylindrical parts clamps

articulated (13, 14) and tightening means (15) to advance said clamps towards each other and, thus, to hold an elongated post (1) around a cross section thereof, characterized in that each of said clamps ( 13, 14) includes a plurality of circumferentially separated location sites (21), arranged in an inner circumference of each clamp, and wherein each of said 5 auxiliary equipment (2, 3) includes an upper engagement part (26 ) which has at least one opening to receive a locking pivot (28) therethrough to engage with one of said location sites (21) in one of said clamps (13, 14), whereby said equipment auxiliary (2, 3) is configured to be temporarily supported by inter-gearing said locking pin (28), through said upper gear part (26) of the opening and clamps (13, 14), and the radial placement of said auxiliary equipment (2, 3),

10 verified before said auxiliary equipment (2, 3) is secured to said clamps (13, 14).

In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, a method of fixing the auxiliary equipment to a street post using the system of the first embodiment is disclosed, said method comprising the steps of:

(i) fasten a split bushing to said post; 15 (ii) temporarily inter-engage a part of said auxiliary equipment with said bushing;

(iii) check the radial placement of said auxiliary equipment with respect to said post;

(iv)

reposition said auxiliary equipment and repeat steps (ii) and (iii);

(v)

secure said auxiliary equipment to said bush;

In accordance with a third embodiment of the invention, a post is provided having at least one mounting system according to the first embodiment of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an enlarged view of a pole mounting system according to the preferred embodiment;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the system of Figure 1, with an auxiliary equipment temporarily fixed; Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a pair of clamps of cylindrical parts of Figures 1 and 2, used to assemble the auxiliary equipment;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the clamps of Figure 3, and showing the clamps in assembled condition; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the clamps of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a sectional view along the E-E line of Figure 4; Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the clamping means of the clamps of Figure 4; Figure 8 is a front of the clamps of Figure 4; and Figure 9 is a right side view of the clamps of Figure 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As seen in Figures 1 and 2, a post 1 mounted on a street and preferably formed of a galvanized steel tube, of constant circular cross-section, or a tube of is illustrated. aluminum, again of constant circular cross section.

Mounted on post 1 there are a number of auxiliary equipment items, including a sign with the name of the

40 lane 2 and a banner holder 3 (not seen in Figure 1). If desired, a sleeve of the base liner 4 can be provided. Said base liner sleeve 4 is not mandatory, and can be omitted as being purely decorative. However, it is often used to conceal covered access openings for internal electrical wiring, traffic light equipment and the like (not shown) that are located between the lining sleeve 4 and the post 1, or within the post 1. A

45 vertical gutter 5 on the sleeve to discourage those who stick advertising signs or the like on a street post, and also those who would like to "decorate" the street post with a graffiti. As best seen in Figures 1 and 2, post 1 is provided with at least one and, typically, many

clamps 6 which, as best seen in Figures 3 to 9, each preferably takes the form of a bushing divided vertically 12. The bushing 12 is made of two pieces, 13 and 14, which are preferably identical and differ only in their orientation. The pieces of the bushing 13, 14 can be secured together by fasteners 15. Preferably, a rubber sleeve (not illustrated) formed of two pieces, is located between the bushing 12 and the post 1, so that the bushing 12 is better held against the outer surface of post 1.

The clamp 6 has an upper flange 18 and a lower flange 19, and is provided with an annular surface 20 located just below the upper flange 18, and on which a regularly spaced multiplicity of teeth 21 is provided, in the form of shaped openings .

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the clamp 6 can be located anywhere within a vertical range of the post 1 and, because it is essentially circular in nature, the radial orientation of the clamp 6 is irrelevant. In this way, the clamp 6 is simply secured to the post in the desired vertical position, in any radial orientation that is more convenient for the installer.

It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that when the post 1 is not circular on its own, but is tapered, with a circular cross section, then the rubber sleeve can be provided with an appropriate tapered so that the clamp 12 holds securely post 1. Since many installed posts are tapered, this provides the substantial advantage of an upgrade market to provide fixings for existing posts.

Additionally, it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the sleeve may include one or more tabs or gear grooves (not shown), to accommodate a keyed gear with the corresponding grooves or tabs, arranged in / on the post 1. For example, post 1 may include four longitudinal grooves that extend substantially along the length of the post, in a north-southeast-west configuration, in accordance with the foregoing. Four longitudinally extending tabs (not illustrated) are arranged inside the sleeves and are configured for keyed gearing with the grooves of the post. In this way, the bushing 12 can be automatically placed in any one of the four configurations.

It will be seen that the sign with the name of the street 2 is mounted on a support 22, in which the sign 2 is currently received. Sign 2 can be of any nature, for example a sign with the name of the street, a speed limit sign, an informational sign, etc. The support 22 also has a generally linear part 25 which is configured to engage with the upper 26 and lower 27 gear parts. The gear parts 26 and 27 include openings 29 to receive the locking pin 28 in the form of a bolt.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the support 22, with the sign with the name of the lane 2 fixed, can be located by passing the upper and lower gear parts 26 and 27 over the upper flange 18 of the clamp 6, of so that the openings 29 are aligned with the openings 21 formed, thereby providing a defined radial orientation for the sign with the name of the street 2. Additionally, the support 22 and the sign with the name 2 can remain hung in the position temporary under the influence of gravity, due to the cantilever nature of sign 2, which drives the lower gear part 27 against the bushing 12.

With the sign with the name of the street 2 temporarily located in this way, the installer can verify that the radial orientation of the piece of auxiliary equipment, in this case the sign with the name of the street 2, is correct before finally securing the auxiliary equipment part in place by means of the slotted locking pin 22 through the opening of the upper gear part 26, the shaped opening 21 and the opening of the lower gear part 27. The locking pin is engaged in threaded shape in a corresponding threaded part in the opening of the lower gear part 27. In some cases, this may require disassembly from a ladder, to visualize post 1 at some distance, before reassembling the ladder to perform the operation of final securing with bolts 28. In the case of mounting a directional antenna, for example, it may be necessary to perform various electrical tests without the installer being adjacent to the antenna.

As indicated, the final securing is achieved by grooving the locking bolts 28, through the openings of the upper gear part 26, through the openings 21 formed and aligned and through the openings the part of lower gear 27, which are threaded and, thus, secure the auxiliary equipment 2 to the bushing 6. In cases where a lower gear part 27 is not provided, the bolts 28 are threadedly engaged with the threaded parts of shaped openings 21. Also, if the openings 29 of the lower gear part 27 are not threaded, a nut (not shown) can be used to secure each bolt.

It will be clear that the provision described above provided a number of substantial advantages. The vertical position of each bushing 6 is infinitely variable, so that the height of each auxiliary equipment is fully adjustable. The radial orientation of the bushing 6 is irrelevant, since it can be easily checked for a desired accuracy and, if necessary, adjusted before the final securing stage. The auxiliary equipment can be subsequently mounted in any radial orientation, or changed to any preferred radial orientation, as desired. The components can be manufactured in a relatively easy way, at low cost, and installed in a short time, allowing the use of a single-handed installation (thus enhancing the safety of the installer). Low manufacturing costs mean that much less wealthy local state areas can improve the appearance of their streets by a small outlay.

With reference to Figures 4 to 9, various views of the bushing 6 are shown. The bushing pieces 13 and 14 are mounted in an articulated manner around an articulation point 30. The clamp pieces 13 and 14 are joined together to form a clamp substantially circular 6. The non-articulated parts of the clamp pieces 13 and 14 are secured together by hidden screws 15. Figure 6 shows the use of three screws 15 that are received through an opening 32 of the clamp piece 14 and they are engaged with the female threaded parts, arranged at the end of the openings 32 or the clamp piece 13.

It will be clear that many variations of the system are possible. For example, a single locking pivot 28 may be used, together with one or more openings in the upper gear part 26 and, when used, the lower 27 analogously, the articulation point 30 may be an articulation pivot or other articulation .

It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the bushings can be of any preferred size, for example, to fit existing post sizes, or any other predetermined post size. Additionally, it will also be apparent that advertisements or other indications (not illustrated) may be arranged around the outside of the bushing pieces 13 and 14. For example, the outside of the bushing pieces may include a recess in their surface, to receive material printed, where the recess can be covered by a cover that can be mounted removably and transparently.

It can be seen that the pole mounting system of the preferred embodiment advantageously minimizes the disorder caused by mounting a plurality of auxiliary equipment on a pole. Additionally, a plurality of auxiliary equipment can be secured to a pole, at the same distance from the ground. Until now, it was known how to assemble a plurality of auxiliary equipment in a spaced apart way, along the longitudinal length of the pole.

The above describes only some embodiments of the present invention and can be made to the same modifications obvious to those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the two clamps 6 can be articulated together. Also, a sealed cable entry can be provided between the inside of the post and, for example, an antenna.

In the event that the post 1 includes longitudinal grooves (or tabs), for keyed gearing with the corresponding tabs (or grooves) in the bushing 6, those post grooves can be used to align a plurality of bushes 6 arranged along the post 1. Similarly, when only one bushing 6 is provided on different posts, the bushes can be aligned with each other using the groove and tongue arrangement.

The term "comprising" (and its grammatical variations), as used herein, is used in the inclusive sense of "having" or "include" and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting solely of".

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Claims (10)

one.

A pole mounting system for attaching auxiliary equipment (2, 3) to street posts, said system comprising a pair of cylindrical clamps (13, 14) of articulated parts and clamping means (15) for advancing said clamps a towards another, thus holding an elongated post (1) around a cross section thereof, characterized in that each of said clamps (13, 14) includes a plurality of circumferentially separated location sites (21) arranged on a internal circumference of each clamp, and in which each of said auxiliary equipment includes an upper engagement part (26), which has at least one opening to receive a locking pivot (28) therethrough, to engage with one of said location sites (21) in one of said clamps (13, 14), whereby said auxiliary equipment (2, 3) is configured to be temporarily supported by hooks of said locking pivot (28) to through said opening of the upper coupling part (26) and the clamps (13, 14), and the radial placement of said auxiliary equipment (2, 3) is verified before said auxiliary equipment (2, 3) is secured to said clamps (13, 14).

2.

The system according to claim 1, wherein said locking pin (28) is a threaded bolt, configured to engage with a corresponding thread disposed at each location site (21).

3.

The system according to claim 1, wherein said upper gear part (26) includes a pair of spaced apart openings (29), each configured to receive a locking pivot (28) therethrough, in which each pivot (28) is configured to engage with a location site (21).

Four.

The system according to claim 1, wherein each of said auxiliary equipment (2, 3) includes a lower gear part (27) having the same number of separate openings (29) as said upper gear part ( 26), such that said pivot or locking pivots (28) are configured to engage with said openings (29) of the lower hitch part, after passing through said openings (29) of the upper hitch part and said site or location sites (21).

5.

The system according to claim 1, wherein said location sites (21) comprise a plurality of longitudinally extending slots, regularly separated.

6.

The system according to claim 5, wherein said grooves of the location site (21) are located in an upper flange (18) of said clamps.

7.

The system according to claim 4, wherein said upper gear part (26) of said auxiliary equipment is configured to receive an auxiliary rod (2).

8.

The system according to claim 7, wherein said rod (2) is configured to engage with said upper and lower engagement parts (26, 27) of said auxiliary equipment.

9.

A method for attaching the auxiliary equipment (2, 3) to a street post using the system of any one of claims 1 to 8, said method comprising the steps of:

(i)

fastening a slotted bushing (12) to said post;

(ii)

temporarily hooking a part of said auxiliary equipment (2, 3) with said bushing;

(iii) check the radial placement of said auxiliary equipment (2, 3) with respect to said post;

(iv)

reposition said auxiliary equipment (2, 3) and repeat steps (ii) and (iii); Y

(v)

secure said auxiliary equipment (2, 3) to said bushing.

10.

Use of a pole mounting system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, on a pole.